The Trials of Supergirl
by LMXB
Summary: Supergirl finds herself facing a different kind of justice when her past catches up to her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Supergirl or the characters. This is written purely for fun.

**A/N:** I started this a while ago, but have only recently found time to write it. It is dark and angsty, but there will be sister moments towards the end. This is set shortly after the S4 finale but doesn't really touch on Lena's reaction to Kara's identity.

* * *

"Here you go." Supergirl said handing an alien over to the DEO agents in the control room.

"Put him in containment." Alex ordered the agents who cautiously led the alien away.

"Have I said how good it is to be back?" Supergirl smiled at Alex.

"Just a few times." Alex smiled back.

"So do want a celebratory movie night?" Supergirl asked.

"I, uh," Alex started pulling a face.

"Have a hot date?" Supergirl guessed.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Don't apologise. We'll catch up tomorrow for breakfast." Kara suggested. "Unless it's going to be a really hot date."

"Kara-" Alex started.

"I mean James told me all about Kelly's walk of shame this morning." Kara smiled.

"I'll see you in Noonan's tomorrow morning." Alex said.

"Okay. Anyway I should get back to CatCo. See you tomorrow. Have fun." Supergirl said before flying off.

"She seems happy." Brainy commented as he approached Alex.

"Yes she does." Alex agreed.

"Are you unwell?" Brainy asked.

"No. Why?"

"Your face is red." He pointed out.

"I'm fine." Alex said before changing topics and asking. "So what do we know about our latest prisoner?"

"There is nothing about his species in the DEO archives. I did not know his species had had contact with Earth before the twenty second century."

"Well clearly he has. So what do you know about him? And don't give me that timeline excuse."

"Protecting the timeline is not a mere excuse to annoy you." Brainy said.

"Good. So what do you know?" Alex asked.

-00-

As Supergirl flew across the city she saw smoke coming from a building. Changing course she flew towards the fire and used her freeze breath to put it out before entering the building looking for casualties.

"Hello." she called.

"Help!" A man called from a room.

"I'm coming." Supergirl said following the noise. As she entered the room she saw a man sitting on the far side of the room, knees pulled to his chest looking like he was frozen with fear.

"It's okay. The fire is out." Supergirl said as she approached him.

"Supergirl?" He asked looking up. "It's really you?"

"Yes. Are you hurt?" She asked.

"So hurt. The pain, I can't get over it."

"It's okay. I'm here to help." Supergirl said as she crouched by him. "Where are you hurt?" She asked as she noticed him clutching a box.

"So much darkness." He said.

"Can you see me?" Supergirl asked wondering if he was blind.

"Oh, I can see you." He assured her looking straight at her with wild eyes.

"Let's get you out of here." She said, feeling uneasy.

"Yes." He said opening the box. As soon as the lid was off Supergirl sagged back as dizziness hit. Looking down she saw a huge rock of green in the box.

"You will repent and you will pay." He said removing the rock and pressing it against Supergirl's chest, causing her to weaken further. As she tried to gather her strength he pulled a syringe from the box and stabbed the needle into Supergirl who screamed in pain before falling unconscious.

"Finally judgement will fall on you." He said.

-00-

As Supergirl woke up she was immediately aware of a familiar feeling of nausea, dizziness and general weakness. Forcing her eyes open she saw that she was wrapped in green chains. Using what little strength she had she forced her head up and found herself sitting in room that looked like a makeshift court. Only where the jury would sit were two benches lined with 12 puppets and dolls. At the front, wearing a black robe, was a further puppet that looked like a reject from the original Child's Play.

She then heard footsteps approach from behind as a voice she didn't recognise said.

"The defendant is awake we will begin."

"Who are you?" Supergirl asked as he moved in front of her.

"I am the prosecutor."

"Prosecutor?" Supergirl asked confused as she tried to focus on the figure, but he remained blurry.

"You have committed countless crimes against the people of this country. You will now be tried for each of those crimes and when found guilty you will be sentenced and punishment will be carried out immediately." He paused and then looked down at his book. "We will start with the first crime, environmental vandalism." Not giving her time to answer he approached the bench and said. "This court is in session. Supergirl you are accused of causing an oil spill in National City in October 2015. How do you plead?"

"Plead?" Supergirl asked, her brain not engaging.

"Yes plead. Did you cause and oil spill?"

"Yes." Supergirl said recalling the even from her early days.

"So you plead guilty?" He asked. "So noted. The judge will now pass sentence." He then looked at the puppet at the front and every so often nodded before commenting. "Harsh, but fair and fitting." He then turned to face Supergirl.

"You will stand for sentencing." He said.

Still dazed and confused Supergirl remained seated.

"I said you will stand for sentencing." He yelled before yanking her to her feet. He then calmed himself before saying.

"Supergirl you have been founded guilty to environmental damage. The punishment will be for you to have a toxic environment for thirty minutes." With that he picked up what looked like an oxygen cannister attached to a mask and walked back towards Supergirl.

"The contents of this cylinder has small traces of Kryptonite. Not enough to kill you as you breathe, but enough for you to learn what harming the environment can do."

With that he placed the mask on Kara's face and turned a valve forcing Kara to breathe in the poisonousness air.

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Jennifer Baratta - Thanks! I'll try to get updates posted daily.

Winterstorm22 - It will be a rough story for Kara.

_Guest - _The angst will ebb and flow but there will be lots of it.

Klara - Thanks! Yes, he has been building himself up for this for a few years.

* * *

When Alex entered Noonan's the next morning she was concerned that Kara wasn't already there eating a sticky bun. Assuming a Supergirl emergency had come up she pulled out her phone and dialled her sister.

When it went straight through to voicemail she spoke into the phone.

"Hey, it's me. I thought we were meeting for breakfast. Call me back in the next couple of minutes if you want me to order you something." Having hung up she approached the counter and placed her order before taking a seat and waiting for Kara to call her back.

Growing restless she called the DEO, going for Brainy's extension.

"Good morning Director Danvers." Brainy greeted.

"Hey Brainy. Is Supergirl doing anything right now?"

"Not that I know of. Let me check the newsfeeds." He said before falling silent. As the silence lengthened Alex grew more impatient until Brainy came back and said. "There have been no reports of any Supergirl activity since yesterday afternoon."

"Do you know where her cell phone is?" Alex asked.

"Give me eighteen seconds." He said typing away. Eventually he said. "Hmm, currently her cell phone is not on. I will try to locate its last known location."

"Call me when you have something." Alex said ending the call before trying Kara one more time. Getting no response she left Noonan's and raced to her sister's apartment.

-00-

"All rise." The man said walking into the makeshift court room. As Supergirl continued to sit semi conscious he walked up to her and yanked her to her feet. "I said all rise. Any contempt of this court will result in further punishment."

Swaying Supergirl kept herself upright as he walked towards the bench and turned the puppet round so it faced Supergirl.

"Your honour. The defendant is here and I, the prosecution, am ready to proceed." He paused and looked at the puppet before saying. "Thank you your honour." He then turned and faced Supergirl.

"Supergirl, the charges against you are vandalism and assault. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." Kara said trying to sound defiant.

"So noted. I will now start my prosecution. You may sit."

As Kara slumped down to the chair, the Kryptonite chains continuing to make her feel nauseous and weak the man turned to the puppets who sat as jurors.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury. Today I will prove to you that Supergirl, rather than being a beacon of hope and righteousness is merely a bully and a thug. I will show that in the month of December 2015 she viciously assaulted a man and deliberately destroyed his car. Not only did she assault him, she did it in front of school children as if to say violence is okay. I begin my case with video evidence of the destruction of his car and the assault showing her brutally braking his nose."

With that he played a video of Supergirl's 'road rage' event from her first year. As it played he overly dramatically shook his head. Once the video had stopped he looked at the jury.

"This case is so clear cut that I rest my case." He then turned to Supergirl and said. "You may start your defence."

"I was trying to protect the children." Supergirl said.

"Objection." The man said. "The defence is testifying not presenting evidence." He then looked at the puppet at the front before turning back to Supergirl.

"Don't be impertinent answer the question."

"Question?" Supergirl asked.

"Do you wish to take the stand and open yourself up for examination?"

"No." Supergirl said guessing it would result in a world of pain.

"Well do you have any witnesses you want to call?"

"Yes." Supergirl said hoping this was a chance to get backup.

"Yet you did not submit any names to the court." The man said. "Therefore the only person you can call is you. So are you calling yourself to the stand?"

"Yes." Supergirl said.

"Very well. Move to the stand." He said.

As Supergirl struggled to the stand, every step a drain thanks to the Kryptonite the man said. "I must warn you, this court will not tolerate tricks."

As Supergirl reached the stand he said.

"Do you swear before this court that you will tell the truth? Any lies will be punished."

"I swear to tell the truth." Supergirl said.

"Good. Then you may begin." He then sat down as Supergirl said.

"The man would have run over the children. I was trying to save them."

When she said nothing else the man asked.

"Is that it?"

"What else is there to say?" Supergirl questioned.

"Very well, I will now cross examine." He said standing and walking towards her.

"You have super strength do you not?" He asked when he was a few feet away.

"Yes."

"You have stopped a space shuttle whilst keeping it in tact have you not?"

"Yes."

"You have caught and landed a helicopter have you not?"

"Yes."

"Yet a mere sports car you destroyed? Could you have stopped it without destroying it?"

"My priority was the-"

"Answer the question." He interrupted. "Could you have stopped it without destroying it?"

"Yes, but-"

"Enough." He shouted. "What about his nose? There was no need to do what you did was there? Could you have stopped him without harming him?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Maybe? You have god like powers and you are admitting you can't control them?"

"No."

"So you were in control?"

"Yes."

"So it was deliberate?

"No. I-"

"No more questions your honour." He said looking at Supergirl. "You may step down and wait for the jury to make their decision.

As Supergirl sat looking confused he said.

"I said leave the stand."

Dazed she tried to overcome her weakness and stagger back to her chair. As she arrived he said.

"This doesn't look good, they are back already." Giving her no time to respond he said. "Madam foreperson has the jury reached a verdict? … And what is it? …. I see. Supergirl you have been found guilty."

He then approached the bench and looked at the puppet at the front before turning and walking back to Supergirl.

"Your sentence is a broken nose." He said punching her. Weakened by the Kryptonite the blow knocked her off her feet and blood flowed freely.

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

HD - There will be plenty of trouble for Kara.

Jennifer Baratta - Kara will do her best to get help, but the captor isn't that interested in a fair trial

* * *

"Hey Alex, what's up?" James asked as Alex entered his office at CatCo.

"Have you seen Kara?"

"Not since yesterday morning. Why?"

"She's not answering her phone this morning and I'm not sure she was at her apartment last night."

"Nia, may have seen her after me." James suggested.

"I couldn't find her either." Alex said.

"I have seen her today. She was working on a story so may have left to chase a lead. We do have a staff meeting in an hour so I assume she'll be back for that."

"Okay, when she gets back can you have her call me?"

"Of course." James said. "But I'm sure Kara wi'll be fine. She's working on lots of stories."

"I hope you're right. I just have a bad feeling." Alex said leaving.

-00-

"This court is back in session." The man said walking back into the room. As he saw Supergirl, her face caked in blood he asked.

"What new disrespect is this? Why have you made no effort to look presentable?" Shaking his head he approached the puppet at the front. "Your honour, I request a further adjournment to stop the defendant making a mockery of this court." He paused before saying. "Thank you your honour." Once again he turned and announced. "This session will resume in twenty minutes." He then approached Supergirl and walked round the back of her. As her chair started moving she noticed for the first time that the chair was actually a wheelchair.

"Where are we going?" She asked, the kryptonite chains causing her to not focus.

"To make you respectable." He said wheeling her out of the room into a barely lit corridor which smelled of damp. As they moved through the corridor the motion of the chair and the flickering lights combined with the Kryptonite to make the nausea far worse. Eventually he turned the chair to the side and pushed Supergirl into another room. This one was a run down bathroom. "You have ten minutes to clean yourself up. Don't waste them." With that he turned and walked out of the room.

Finally alone Supergirl looked round for anything that she could use to help her escape. Only apart from a basin, a toilet and a towel, which was far from clean, she saw nothing apart from the mould on the walls.

"Time is ticking." The man shouted from outside. Clambering to her feet she approached the basin and splashed water over her face, hoping at the very least it would help her concentrate. As she watched the bloodied water fall off her face into the sink an idea came to her.

Turning off the tap she stumbled back to the wheelchair and tried to remove a spoke from one of the wheels that she could use as a weapon. However, in her weakened state the only damage she caused was to her hand.

-00-

"Lena, hi. Look I know your assistant said you were busy, but this is urgent." Alex said briskly walking into Lena's office, a flustered assistant following in her wake.

"Alex. What exactly is so urgent that you forced your way into my office?" Lena asked coldly as she waved her assistant away.

"Have you seen Kara recently?" Alex asked the desperation clear in her voice.

"Not since last week. Why?"

"I don't suppose she mentioned working on a story?" Alex asked her voice almost despondent.

"No. What's happened?" Lena asked.

"She's gone missing." Alex said. "Disappeared off the face of the planet. It's not like her and I'm worried."

"I've not seen her." Lena said.

"If you here from her please call me."

"Of course." Lena said, who despite her anger towards Kara couldn't help but be concerned.

-00-

"Time's up." The man said entering the bathroom. As he looked at her he shook his head before saying. "I suppose it'll do." He then roughly forced her to sit in the chair before wheeling her out of the bathroom.

"Why are you doing this?" Supergirl asked as he wheeled her back to the 'courtroom'.

"Justice." He said.

"What do you mean?" Supergirl asked trying to look round and focus on the man, feeling like she knew him.

"You fly round pretending to be a saviour, but you have hurt so many people. Most of whom don't have voices. That changes now. Now I will fight for them. No longer will you get away with your crimes."

"Who are you?" Supergirl asked.

"Just another victim of your actions." He said. "So unworthy you don't know who I am, but I am someone who lost everything because of you."

"What did I do to you?" Supergirl asked.

"We'll get to that. But first the court will hear your other crimes." He said wheeling her back into the brightly room, where the puppets still sat.

"Wait, aren't I entitled to a lawyer?" Supergirl asked as he wheeled her to the defence table.

"Why? You are not American. You are an alien. You have no rights." He spat at her. "But despite that I have allowed you to mount a defence like any citizen." He added as if that made him righteous. "But so there can be no question of fairness, the court will appoint you a lawyer. We shall resume tomorrow." He said leaving Supergirl chained in the chair. As he left the room the lights went out and all Supergirl could see were weak glimmers of reflections off the puppets' eyes.

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Guest - Winn's dad will be a possible albeit implausible suspect.

Guest (2) - It feels like they have been toying with turning her bad since she was introduced. I guess if Lena does use VR then Leviathan could hack into it and can learn all her methods for hurting her and use them outside the virtual world.

* * *

As Alex entered her apartment building she chewed on her lip, convinced something was wrong with Kara, but not knowing how to help her.

"Where are you?" She asked out loud as she stepped into the elevator. As it rode up she shut her eyes and tried to think of places Kara might go. But as she thought she started to question if she had in fact recovered all her memories. Maybe she hadn't and maybe today was a special day for Kara, one that needed her to go somewhere by herself. For a moment that thought gave her both sadness and hope. But after a moment she shook her head knowing that even if she couldn't remember her mother would and she had said nothing. As the doors opened she opened her eyes and stepped towards her apartment.

"Kelly? Hi." Alex said seeing her girlfriend outside her door.

"Alex." Kelly said immediately picking up on Alex's expression and asking. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, it's Kara. She's gone missing." Alex said opening her apartment and stepping inside.

"What? When?"

"Last night I think. I mean I don't know for sure. I saw her yesterday afternoon and we were meant to meet for breakfast, but she didn't show and she has not been at work. She isn't answering her phone and Brainy can't track it. I'm worried, really worried."

"Is there anything I can do?" Kelly offered.

"No. I don't know." Alex said pacing. "I mean I don't even know what I can do right now. I thought by changing scenery I might be struck with inspiration of where she might go. But nothing."

"Alex, I know you are upset, but you need to take a minute. Like this you aren't going to think clearly." Kelly said.

"I know." Alex said slumping into her couch. "That's one of the reasons I left the DEO."

"Could she be working on a story?" Kelly suggested.

"If she is she didn't tell anyone. And I know there might be a good explanation for her disappearing, but I have a really bad feeling."

"When was the last time you ate something?" Kelly asked.

"Last night, unless coffee counts."

"It doesn't. I know you don't want to, but you need to eat." Kelly said, knowing Alex was about to argue she immediately went on. "But while you eat we'll talk through where she may have gone. Maybe my outside perspective will help."

"Okay." Alex agreed.

-00-

Supergirl was awakened by the lights flickering into life before hearing a door crashing open behind her.

"All rise." The captor said as he marched through the room. As he walked past Supergirl he roughly yanked her to her feet before continuing to the bench and turning the puppet round to face them.

"You honour, the defendant has requested legal representation and a lawyer has been assigned. With your permission he will take his place." He paused as if waiting for the puppet to speak. During the pause Kara allowed herself to feel some hope that help might becoming. She was shaken from her thoughts by the man saying. "Of course your honour." He then turned towards his table and reached down pulling out another puppet that he carried over to Supergirl's table. He then placed the puppet on the table and said. "Your lawyer. He was hard to find. You owe him a great deal."

"He's a puppet." Supergirl pointed out, hope leaving her body, angering the man.

"I have gone to great lengths to find a lawyer who would represent you. If your request was merely to waste time I am sure the judge will find you in contempt."

"No, he's fine." Supergirl said. "Do I at least get to discuss my case with him?" She asked hoping to delay the man.

"You have an hour."

-00-

"Any sign?" Alex asked as she approached Brainy.

"Nothing. I have gone over all the radar data and she has not flown since the afternoon she disappeared."

"Where did she go?"

"That I can't tell you. Below a certain altitude there is too much clutter and not enough coverage. What I can tell you is she was heading East."

"Towards CatCo, which is where she said she was going." Alex reminded him. "What about her cell phone?"

"Despite being off grid, I managed to get a last known location for it."

"Why didn't you tell me? Where?" Alex asked.

"You were at home and needed to rest. A strike team went last night and found the phone but not Supergirl."

"But?" Alex asked knowing he was holding something back.

"But the building it was in had suffered a small fire very recently, one it looks like Supergirl might have extinguished. The building sits between here and CatCo, so my hypothesis is she saw the fire as she was flying back to CatCo and stopped to put it out. But the fire is likely to have been a trap. A team is currently scouring the building looking for clues." He said as his phone buzzed. Ignoring Alex's scowl he read the message and said.

"It is Nia. She wants to see us."

-00-

"The crimes of Leslie Willis." The man said as he stood at the front of the room.

"What?" Supergirl asked.

"Silence." The man snapped. "You may not address this court until you have been granted permission. In relation to the charge of negligence and manslaughter relating to Leslie Willis, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty." Supergirl said.

"Very well. I will start my arguments." He said looking to the puppet jurors. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, Leslie Willis, also known as Livewire, committed countless crimes against this city. Including vandalism, assault and murder. However, she herself was a victim. A victim of Supergirl. You see in November 2015, Supergirl turned Leslie Willis into Livewire. Her alien DNA combined with lightning and transformed Ms Willis."

"How do you know that?" Supergirl asked.

"Silence!" He snapped again before turning back to the jury. "Although that question could be assumed to be an admission of guilt." He added before playing a video that showed the lightning strike. As the video went on to show some of Livewire's crimes he said. "Ms Willis never asked to become Livewire. That was thrust upon her by Supergirl, who must therefore be deemed responsible."

"Aren't you testifying?" Supergirl asked. The question causing the man's eyes to go even more wild.

"The court has been insulted for the last time. You have been found in contempt of this court." He said.

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Guest (1) - I disagree, in S2 Kara went from Kara to Clark and that means needs a Luthor nemesis. Lillian also said that LEx only turned because of the betrayal by Clark. Also Lillian believed Lena would annihilate aliens and told Kara she would hate her. Plus in the three interviews I have seen over the last few years with the writing/directing staff they constantly plugged turning her bad. Bearing in mind they can scrub Kryptonite from the atmosphere, I would assume the lead is already gone, as although it might be deadly to Damaxites, lead is pretty bad for humans (although the mental degradation caused by lead poisoning may explain the insane plot of Lena going bad). Even if they hadn't the fact they can remove Kryptonite means they could remove lead.

Guest (2) - Not really. I have tried not to give any thought to such an unbelievable personality flip. But presumably they will do something with Leviathan.

Jennifer Baratta - No, but it is not to far off being revealed who is responsible.

* * *

"Have you seen Kara?" Alex asked hopefully when Nia entered the DEO.

"No. Not exactly. Ever since you told me she was missing I've been trying to use my powers and I managed to dream. I mean, I had a dream of Kara, well Supergirl, and it wasn't good."

"How not good?" Alex asked.

"She's hurt."

"Hurt how?" Alex pressed, trying and failing to remain calm.

"Her face is bruised and she looks ill. She's wearing chains and they're green."

"Kryptonite." Alex guessed.

"This is still a premonition so let's focus on what you can see that will help us find her." Brainy said.

"Okay." Nia said closing her eyes. After a moment she said. "There is man, he looks crazy and angry. And there are puppets."

"Excuse me?" Alex asked.

"There are puppets in the room and they are looking at Kara." Nia tried explaining.

"Puppets as in toys?" Alex asked.

"Yes. Like Child's Play. Really freaky." Nia said.

As she spoke Alex took a deep breath and started thinking.

"You believe you know what is happening?" Brainy asked Alex, noticing the change in her behaviour.

"It sounds like Toyman, but he is dead." Alex said. "Or we thought he was." Alex said pulling out her phone before searching for a picture of Toyman. Having found it she showed it to Nia and asked. "Was he in your dream?"

"No. The man I saw was much younger. More like our age."

"Can you work with us to get a picture?" Alex asked.

"Of course." Nia said before looking at Brainy and asking. "What about astral projection? Is there something you can teach me to allow me to astral project to her?"

"Unlikely without any idea of location." Brainy said.

"Nia, work with Jones to get a picture. Brainy, can you look up any know associates of Toyman? Look for anyone he was in jail with who has since been released who may have a grudge against Supergirl."

"Of course." He said returning to his terminal.

-00-

Kara woke, her chained arms hooked onto a meat hook on the ceiling, in a new room, smaller and darker than the room she was used to. Looking round she was relieved to see a lack of puppets, but the pain searing through her body put a quick end to that relief. Doing her best to fight off her dizziness she tried to remember what had happened for her to be in this room.

She remembered being in a pretend court accused of crimes and surrounded by puppets. But as she remembered she questioned if any of that was real. Maybe it was just a hallucination brought on by what had happened to her in this room. That thought sparked another, what if none of this was real. As she started to hope she was having a nightmare that she would soon wake from a door opened and light flooded in. Shutting her eyes as the light hit them causing her head to throb she feared it was not a dream.

"You are awake. Good. I hope you have learned your lesson." The man said wheeling the chair towards her. He then wrapped his arms round her body, causing the pain to intensify, before lifting her up so the chains lifted over the meat hook. As soon as she was free he dropped her to the ground.

"Get in the chair." He ordered.

As Supergirl lay on the floor, dizzy and in pain he said. "If you prefer we can have a repeat of last night." As he spoke he looked to the right where a baseball bat leaned against the wall. A bat that had small green shards embedded in it.

Seeing the bat Supergirl started to remember the beating she had taken the night before and knowing she didn't want another, forced herself to her to her knees and crawled to the chair before using the last of the strength to get in it.

"Obedience at last." The man said moving behind the chair. "Learn from this. Any more acts of contempt will see you end up back in this room." He added as he started wheeling the chair, the motion once again combining with the Kryptonite to make her feel like vomiting. She was distracted from her nausea though by the man saying.

"I know why you are reluctant to come back to court. Yesterday did not go well for you. The Jury made their decision within minutes, but the judge ruled that the verdict would not be read until you returned. Obviously there is no doubt what the verdict will be, but the judge likes to follow the rules." He said wheeling her into the court. As he put her by the defence table, next to her puppet lawyer she saw on the table large batteries and wires.

"Don't worry. We'll get to that." He said before walking away and approaching the bench where he turned the puppet round to face the room.

He then turned to face the two lines of puppets and said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict? And what is that verdict? Thank you for your time." He said before turning back to the judge.

"The jury finds her guilty. What punishment do you bring? I see, that is most fitting." He said turning back to Supergirl, an evil glint in his wild eyes. He then approached her and picked some of the wires off the table. At one end of the wires were electrode pads. For each pad he peeled off the cover before sticking it to Supergirl. As he did so he explained.

"Livewire, created by you, caused pain and death through electricity. Now you will receive some of that pain." He said standing back and connecting some crocodile clips to the batteries. As he did so current surged through Supergirl's body causing her to scream in pain.

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Guest (1) - I genuinely don't think you can argue the always evil/not evil card. If Lena does turn uber bad then she also would have always been evil. If she is just severely ticked and angry she wouldn't turn into a bad guy. Also, unless they are saying Clark is a complete idiot why would he be friends with someone who was evil? I'd still argue the second they had that plot last season of scrubbing the Kryptonite from the atmosphere, lead will not be an issue.

Jennifer Baratta - No. But answers aren't far off.

Whalegang34 - Thanks!

* * *

"Any luck?" James asked as he entered the DEO control room two days later.

"No. Nia has given us a picture of a suspect, but so far we have no hits, which means he is either not a criminal or had a face transplant." Alex said looking at the computer that was searching every database the DEO had access to.

"Wait, I know him." James said looking at the screen that displayed the drawing Nia had helped come up with.

"Who is he?" Alex asked suddenly feeling optimistic.

"I don't know, but I know I have seen him." James said trying to figure out from where.

"What about the Children of Liberty?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. Maybe." He said looking at the drawing. "Do you think J'onn can do anything to help me remember?"

"One way to find out. Let's go."

"You're coming too?" He asked.

"I'm not achieving anything here, other than scaring my agents." Alex pointed out. She then turned to Brainy and said. "Call the second you have a hit."

-00-

As she slowly regained consciousness Kara was immediately aware of how everything hurt. Every muscle screamed in pain. Every breath caused her ribs to object and the chains round her continued to drain her of what little energy she had left. Not wanting to open her eyes she sat as still as she could, hoping that if he thought she was still out she would be left alone. As she sat she heard footsteps pace up and down, every so often the footsteps were accompanied by mutterings, but they were too quiet to make out.

Every so often she heard the footsteps get louder as he approached her but then he'd turn and walk away. After what seemed like a lifetime of this she heard him walk in a different direction then heard the door open and shut. No longer hearing footsteps she opened her eyes and found herself staring straight at the puppet that had been dubbed her lawyer. Trying to look past its freaky face she looked for another way to escape. But as she heard the door she quickly shut her eyes once more.

As the door shut she heard the footsteps approach her once more. But this time they stopped just before her moments before ice water was thrown over her, forcing her to gasp and open her eyes.

"Good, you are awake." He said. "We can begin." He commented as he turned back to the front bench as Supergirl sat shivering in pain.

Stopping before the jurors he turned to face them before saying.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury today, it is both my honour and my shame to prosecute this case. Honour to do my civic duty, but shame that such crimes were able to take place in our city. Today I will prove that Supergirl is guilty of wilful neglect and manslaughter. I will show that during the Earthquake of 2015 she abandoned the city. During our hour of need she abandoned us. She failed to help us and she let people die."

-00-

"Any news?" J'onn asked as James and Alex entered his office.

"None." Alex said before James noticed Kelly was there and asked.

"Kelly? What are you doing here?"

"Helping J'onn with the search." Kelly said.

"Thanks." Alex nodded.

"Well we've not found anything so I'm not sure how helpful I've been." Kelly said apologetically.

"So why are you here?" J'onn asked, knowing there must a reason that Alex had left the DEO.

"James thinks he recognises the picture Nia helped create." Alex explained.

"I just don't know from where. I was hoping you maybe able to help." James jumped in.

"That's not exactly how my powers work, but we can try." J'onn said. "You should probably sit down."

Nodding, James followed J'onn to the couch. When Alex saw the frown on Kelly's face she said.

"It's okay. J'onn knows what he is doing." Alex said. "I mean he managed to block a whole number of my memories without doing damage."

"Was that recently when you felt like there was a piece of you missing?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah." Alex confessed. "But I asked him to do it. I knew the risks."

"Why would you do that?" Kelly asked.

"To protect Kara." Alex explained as James suddenly exclaimed.

"Kelly."

"What is it?" Kelly asked rushing over to the men.

"No. Not you. He's connected to Kelly. Um .. .he's Kelly fiancé. Well was."

"He?" Kelly asked confused as she looked at the picture James was holding. "I don't know who is he."

"Sorry." James said opening his eyes. "I didn't mean you. I used to work with someone called Kelly at CatCo. I'm sure he was her fiancé."

"Wait, wasn't Kelly the person Non took over and made her jump off the balcony?" Alex asked.

"Yes. According to Cat Supergirl managed to save Winn and me, but couldn't save Kelly."

"You jumped off the CatCo balcony?" Kelly asked eyes wide. "No, forget that for now. More importantly why would he have a grudge against Kara?"

"Revenge against Supergirl." J'onn said.

"Can you remember his name?" Alex asked.

"No. I never met the guy, I just remember Kelly had a photo of him on her desk."

"Okay, I'll go back to the DEO and get Brainy to do some digging." Alex said leaving the office.

"Should someone go with her?" Kelly asked.

"She'll be okay." J'onn said. "If you want to help, perhaps you can help go through some data sources the DEO may not."

"Sure." Kelly agreed, happy to be useful.

"I'll see what I can find out at CatCo." James said leaving.

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Jennifer Baratta - As far as I know we never knew anything about Kelly, she seemed to be brought in as a very much red shirt character. So this guy is completely made up.

Guest (1) - As I've said before I really have no interest in Lena behaving like a stroppy teenager. So I just hope they wrap it up in a couple of episodes and move on.

Guest (2) - There will be no interaction between him and James. At this stage nothing would help anyway.

* * *

"Tell me you have something." Alex said entering the DEO.

"We have an identity." Brainy said pulling up a file. "His name is David Morgan. He was a very successful trial's lawyer until the death of his fiancee. After that he became obsessed with trying to prosecute Supergirl. When he was repeatedly turned down, he tried in the civil courts. Once again the case never made it through pre-selection. After that he dropped off the grid." Brainy explained. "I have used his actual photo in our recognition software and found that he attended several of the marches arranged by Agent Liberty."

"Do you know where he is now?" Alex asked.

"No. He has no registered address and his family claim they haven't seen him for years." Brainy explained. "But after Nia's vision I started to search for traces of Kryptonite in the city."

"And?" Alex pressed.

"The scan is still running. It should complete soon. I will then cross reference it with all the Children of Liberty bases. Maybe he is operating out of one of those."

"Maybe." Alex said as the computer bleeped.

"The scan is complete." He said as he pulled up a map. "That is a lot of Kryptonite." He commented seeing the map was lit up like a Christmas tree.

"It will take days to search all of those." Alex said wondering how there was that much Kryptonite out there.

"I can narrow down the search." He said. "We know where Supergirl disappeared from and that building also had Kryptonite. The signature on this map is weak as it has decayed, but from the half life I can work out how much there was and then we can focus the search on areas that have at least that much." He said as he typed. After a minute the number of coloured splodges on the map decreased to ten.

"None of those areas are linked to the Children of Liberty. But assuming she is not at the army base, we can narrow it down to nine." Brainy said before saying. "I wonder." With that he kept typing.

Despite desperately wanting to know what he was doing, Alex knew it would be better not to disturb him, so left him to it. Instead she barked orders to her team, preparing multiple strike teams.

"Director Danvers, I have something." Brainy called.

Walking back to him she saw the map was now just showing one splodge.

"You sure?" Alex asked.

"No, but I an eighty one percent confident." Brainy said.

"Good enough. Let's go." Alex ordered.

-00-

Kara found herself being awoken by ice water being thrown over her once more. Gasping, which resulted in further pain in her ribs, she opened her eyes and saw the man standing in front of her.

"Being late for court will be considered contempt." He said before pushing the chair out of the court room.

"Where are we going?" Supergirl asked, her voice groggy.

"You can't stand before the judge in that state. We have thirty minutes before the session starts. You can use that time to get cleaned up." He said wheeling her quickly through the corridors. As he turned her into the bathroom she saw a brown bag on the floor.

"In there is food and water. Whether you have it is up to you. But you priority is to look respectable. If you don't you be held in contempt. You have twenty minutes before I take you back. After all we can't be late."

As he walked out Supergirl sat motionless in the chair, shivering from the icy water that had soaked through her clothes, wondering how much longer she could last and if she could last long enough for Alex to find her. As she thought of her sister she thought of the guilt that Alex would be feeling and how Alex would blame herself especially of she didn't make it. Knowing she had to be strong for Alex she took a deep breath and lifted herself from the chair before practically falling into the sink.

Turning on the tap she was grateful when after a few seconds warm water actually flowed. Splashing the warmth on her face she tried to concentrate. She recalled how when Alex was kidnapped she fought every second to survive and cursed her own weakness. Not sure how much time she had left she turned off the tap and once again looked round the room, searching for anything she could use, if not to fight, to send Alex a message.

Seeing no window in the room she scanned the room for vents. Finally seeing one on the far wall she stumbled towards it. As she reached the wall she paused to catch her breath before trying to reach up to the vent. As she lifted her arms though her ribs screamed in pain. Trying to ignore the pain she kept stretching until she reached the vent. Feeling the cold metal beneath her fingers she tried to remove it only to find it firmly screwed into the wall. Grunting in frustration she lowered her arms and rested her head against the wall. Giving herself a moment to catch her breath she turned and leaned against the wall looking for something else to try.

Seeing nothing obvious she went back to the chair and once again tried working on removing a spoke.

"I would advise against that." The man said entering the bathroom. "I have spent years learning about you, not only about your other crimes, but how you fight, how you think and what hurts you. And you are a fighter. I knew you would try to fight back. Using the spokes was the obvious choice." He said. "That's why I modified them." He said pushing Supergirl out of the way and removing a spoke from one of the wheels. "You see each one has some Kryptonite in." He said before plunging the spoke through her leg. He waited for her to stop screaming in pain before saying. "There is no escape. You will face justice." As he spoke he removed the spoke from her leg. "Now get back in the chair or risk being found in contempt."

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Jennifer Baratta - Things will start to get better for Kara.

* * *

As the DEO team broke into the old factory, they split into smaller teams before searching the warren of corridors. Walking alongside Alex, Brainy said. "I have reviewed the original plans for this building and believe I know the most likely location of the room Nia saw."

"Where?" Alex asked.

"Approximately one hundred feet in that direction." He said pointing.

Reaching for her radio she said. "Teams Omega and Kappa, keep searching. Everyone else with me. Look out for traps" With that she picked up the pace and went towards the location Brainy had highlighted.

When they reached a small door she looked around and sent silent signals to her team, giving each member instructions on how to proceed. She then held up her hands showing three fingers, then two, then one. As that last finger went down the team moved in unison bursting through the door and taking up defensive positions.

As they looked round they found themselves standing in what looked like a courtroom. Trying not to focus on the freaky looking puppets that sat where the judge and jury would sit they scanned the room for Supergirl.

Walking over to where the defence would sit Brainy knelt down before commenting.

"There is blood."

As Alex felt a sickening feeling wash over her a door at the far side flew open and they heard a man shout. "This court is in session." Moments before seeing a chained, bruised and bloodied Supergirl being wheeled into the room.

"Step away from Supergirl." Alex barked, trying to remain calm, as all of her team trained their weapons on the man's head and chest.

"Who are you?" He asked before his expression turned angry. "How dare you interrupt proceeding. You will leave this court or be found in cont-."

Having heard enough Alex got off a shot, stunning the man who fell to the ground.

"Get him out of here." Alex barked as she ran to Kara and dropped to her knees besides her.

"I'm here." She said to Kara.

"-Lex?" Kara asked groggily, barely able to lift her head or open her eyes.

"I've got you." Alex assured her sister. "You're safe now." She added as she tried to remove the Kryptonite shackles.

"Brainy! Get over here." Alex shouted. As Brainy reached them she ordered. "Get these shackles off her."

Nodding Brainy took hold of the shackle on her left wrist and snapped it off. He then repeated the action for her right wrist, throat and ankles.

"Get all of that away from her." Alex barked as she tried soothing Kara, wondering why her wounds still weren't healing. As Brainy took the Kryptonite away Alex soothed.

"Hang in there. You are going to be fine."

"Tried to hang on." Kara mumbled.

"You did great. You're safe now." Alex said as she placed a bandage over her sister's bleeding leg.

"Alex?" Kara mumbled again.

"I'm right here." Alex assured her. "I need you to tell me where it hurts." Alex said wondering if there was more Kryptonite in her.

"So tired."

"Brainy!" Alex yelled again. When he returned she ordered. "Get her back to the DEO and under the lamps."

Nodding he swept Supergirl up in his arms and left.

"I want you to sweep this building and remove all Kryptonite." Alex ordered her team. "Gather all evidence and bring it back to the DEO. When you are done go to all the other sites of Kryptonite and remove it."

"Yes Ma'am." The team responded.

With that she left for the DEO, praying that her sister was safe.

-00-

"How is she?" Alex asked running into the infirmary.

"We found some more Kryptonite embedded in her wounds. But we removed it and she has healed. Right now she is resting." A doctor explained.

"What aren't you telling me?" Alex asked noticing the expressions in the room.

"Her wounds were bad." One of the doctors said. "It looked like she had been tortured."

"Brainy, get back to the warehouse and make sure we have collected all the Kryptonite." Alex ordered. "And figure out if he was working alone."

"Of course." He said leaving.

"Weir, Bishop, are you sure all the Kryptonite is out?" Alex asked.

"Yes ma'am. Here is the scan." Weir said passing Alex a tablet.

"I have it from here." Alex said.

"Yes ma'am." The duo said leaving. Once they had left Alex pulled up and chair and sat in silent vigil by her sister's side.

-00-

"Alex?" Kara asked opening her eyes an hour later.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Alex responded as she squeezed her sister's hand.

"Is it over?" Kara asked looking round.

"It's over. You are safe now." Alex assured her before repeating her earlier question. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. I think my powers are back."

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Alex asked. In response Kara just shook her head.

"When you are ready, I'm here." Alex said squeezing a little tighter.

"Who was he?" Kara asked.

"We can talk about that after you've rested."

"I need to know." Kara said. "Why did he hate me so much? What had I done to him?"

"You hadn't done anything." Alex said.

"Who was he?"

"David Morgan." Alex replied.

"I thought I knew him, but that name doesn't sound familiar." Kara responded.

"You may only have seen in him photos." Alex said. "He was Kelly McCarthy's fiancée."

"Kelly? He blames me for not saving her." Kara guessed.

"What happened to her isn't your fault."

"Yes it was. I couldn't save her." Kara said recalling the day as a tear ran down her face.

"No one could save her." Alex said wiping the tear away. "Nothing justifies what he did to you."

"You're right. I need to rest." Kara said changing subjects.

Knowing her sister needed space Alex reluctantly said.

"Okay. Do you want me to sit with you?"

"No. You have work. I'll be fine." Kara assured her.

"I'm here whenever you are ready." Alex said standing and kissing Kara's forehead. "Get some sleep."

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Jennifer Baratta - Yes - although safe she is a long way from being okay.

* * *

As Alex walked towards the control room she felt her anger towards Morgan grow. As she pictured everything she could do to him Brainy approached her and called out to her. Only Alex was still consumed by her own thoughts and didn't hear him.

"Director Danvers." Brainy tried again.

"What?" Alex snapped.

"You need to see this. But you might want to lock yourself in a cell first."

"What is it?" Alex asked more calmly.

"David Morgan recorded what he viewed as the court transcripts. He meticulously recorded every detail of the trials, including evidence, statements, verdicts and sentences. Supergirl was found guilty of twenty-seven crimes an-"

"What crimes?" Alex asked.

"Environmental damage, vandalism, assault, reckless endangerment, she was held responsible for Livewire's crimes-"

"I'll read the rest myself." Alex said holding out her hand.

"Before you do, you should know she was sentenced to various punishments some minor, most major, including Kryptonite gas inhalation, lashings and Kryptonite injection. I really think you should read this in isolation." Brainy said finally handing her the book of notes.

Taking it she said. "I'll be in the conference room."

She took a step away from Brainy before turning back to face him and asking.

"How sure are you that he was working alone?"

"There was no evidence that anyone else was involved. But I will keep searching." Brainy said.

-00-

Having finished reading the notes Alex could barely fight back the bile that was rising. Angrily shutting the folder she stood and left the conference room.

"Director Danvers." Brainy said approaching her.

"What is it?" She snapped continuing the walk to the infirmary.

"We found a hidden room in the building which was full of his research."

"What research?" Alex asked turning to face him.

"It appears that for the last four years he has been gathering as much information on Supergirl as he could. Every time something was damaged or someone got hurt he created a file of her perceived crimes. He also logged all the ways she has been hurt and how, as well as all the times someone near her has got hurt. It appears that after the death of his fiance he put all of his efforts into getting justice. But with Non gone, Supergirl quickly became his target. His obsession with taking her down seems to have been the only thing to keep him going. Although his mind is clearly gone."

"I don't care what he went through nothing justified what he did to Kara." Alex said turning away from Brainy. "But right now Kara is my priority not him. Just make sure he stays locked up and away from my sister." She ordered as she stepped into the infirmary, immediately noticing the empty bed.

"Where is she?" Alex asked the doctors who were there.

"She left." The bravest of the doctors said.

"What do you mean left?" Alex growled.

"She said she had lives to save. She said to tell you that she was fine and she would see you tomorrow."

"I'll deal with you tomorrow." Alex said quickly turning and leaving the infirmary.

"Director, while I still have much to learn, you being angry will not help Kara." Brainy pointed out as he hurried after Alex.

"I know." Alex said.

-00-

As Alex raced towards her sister's apartment she tried to calm herself down, knowing Brainy was right and her temper would not help anyone. As she drove past a takeaway shop she pulled over and decided to buy some food, knowing that Kara needed to eat and hoping the wait would calm her further.

Having placed the order she took a seat and pulled out her phone before sending off text messages to various people letting them know Kara was okay.

Almost immediately she got responses from everyone except Lena. The lack of response from her sister's best friend caused her to worry, but her main concern was Kara so she pushed her worry for Lena to one side.

Once the order was done she headed straight to Kara's and when Alex reached Kara's apartment door she didn't bother to knock, instead she tried the handle only to find the door locked. Something that indicated how scared Kara was. Removing her key from her pocket she opened the door and walked in.

"Alex?" Kara asked as her front door opened.

"Hey." Alex said entering while carrying boxes of food. "How are you feeling?"

"No more Kryptonite, so I am fine."

"Not what I meant." Alex said putting the boxes in front of Kara.

"Are you mad at me for leaving the DEO?" Kara asked.

"A little, but I get that you wanted to get out of there." Alex replied. "So I've brought dinner."

"Shouldn't you be out on a date?" Kara asked.

"After what happened to you, do you really think I would be anywhere other than here tonight?" Alex asked as she sat next to Kara and pulled her into a hug,

"I'm okay." Kara tried to assure her.

"No you're not." Alex argued. "But you will be."

"I'm not ready to talk about it." Kara said.

"That's fine. Whenever you are ready." Alex assured her before asking. "So what are we watching?"

"Calamity Jane." Kara said resting against Alex as the film started.

As the movie played Alex carefully watched Kara who pretended to watch the TV. Eventually Kara said.

"He was right."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything he accused me of I was guilty of." Kara said.

"No you weren't." Alex said.

"Yes I was. I did cause an oil spill. I made Livewire. I broke a man's nose. We didn't even get to my worse crimes like what I did to you-"

"Kara listen to me." Alex said looking at Kara. "This world isn't perfect. If it was you would never need to put on that suit. But it isn't, that's why you became Supergirl. Sure, maybe there were times when you could have done things a little differently, but if you had you wouldn't be who you are today because you have learned from everything you have done." Alex said.

"But-" Kara started only for Alex to cut in.

"He was crazy Kara. He was talking to puppets. You can't take seriously anything he said."

"He was screwed up because I didn't save Kelly." Kara reminded her.

"Non was the one who made her jump from the roof. You tried to save to her. But ultimately you can't save everyone." Alex argued. "And I may be selfish thinking this, but I am alive because of you."

"I think I'm going to try to get some sleep." Kara said suddenly changing subjects, making it clear to Alex she didn't want to discuss this further.

Not looking at her sister Kara stood and walked over to her bedroom leaving Alex feeling helpless on the couch.

-00-

"Alex?" Kelly greeted as she approached Alex at Noonan's the next morning.

"Kelly, thanks for coming." Alex said looking relieved to see her.

"Of course. How's Kara?" Kelly said sitting opposite Alex by the cup of coffee that was waiting for her.

"She says she's okay." Alex said.

"But you don't believe her?" Kelly guessed, concerned by the dark circles under Alex's eyes.

"How can she be? She was tortured." Alex stated, her voice quivering with anger. "I hate to lay this on you, but I don't know how to help her especially as she believes what he told her and I don't know how to make her see that he was just crazy."

"Alex." Kelly said reaching across the table and squeezing her hand. "Kara's my friend, I'll do whatever I can to help. Professionally speaking though there is not much I can do without seeing her." She paused before adding. "But in my experience after people have gone through a trauma including torture, they need to feel protected. So maybe you need to get her away from here. Get her to somewhere that she feels safe. Why don't you take her to Midvale to see your mom?"

"I'm not sure she'll go." Alex said.

"You're her big sister, I'm sure you can persuade her." Kelly said. "And if you can't we can just have James give her an assignment there."

"That's true." Alex agreed. "You really think something that simple will help?"

"It won't fix things, but it'll give her something else to think about." She paused before saying. "I know you won't want to hear this, but you need to take care of yourself too. If you collapse from exhaustion you can't help her, if anything it will make her feel guilty."

"I know and I'm taking it easy. I'm even having breakfast." She said pointing to the box on the table. "Speaking of which, I should get back to Kara."

"Let me know if you need anything and take as long as she needs. I'll be here when you get back." Kelly smiled.

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Jennifer Baratta - Thanks!

HD - Thank you! Some of my favourite episodes have involved Midvale or flashbacks about it so I wanted to include it here.

* * *

As the car pulled into the driveway Eliza immediately went to the front door to greet her daughters. The second Kara had got out of the car she pulled her into a hug.

"I'm okay." Kara said, although Eliza was in no danger of believing that.

Finally releasing her vice-like grip on Kara, Eliza pulled back and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"I'm fine." Kara repeated.

"No you're not." Eliza said. "But that's okay, you will be. Let's get you inside and get some food in you."

"Actually I'm a little tired, I might go lie down for awhile." Kara said, not wanting to talk to anyone.

"Okay, I'll be here when you are ready." Eliza said hugging Kara once more before sadly watching her disappear into the house.

"I don't know how to help her." Alex said as she stepped up to her mother. "She barely spoke on the ride over."

"We'll help her together." Eliza said pulling Alex in for a hug.

-00-

"Where's Alex?" Kara asked when she finally emerged on the porch where Eliza was sitting on the swinging seat reading some research papers.

"She went for a run." Eliza explained putting the papers down. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you want anything? You must be hungry."

"No, I'm fine." Kara said. "I might go for a walk."

"Come sit next to me." Eliza said patting the cushion next to her.

"You're busy." Kara said pointing to the papers.

"They can wait. You can't. Come sit down." Eliza pressed in a tone that left little room for argument.

Knowing she couldn't beat Eliza, Kara moved over to her adoptive mother.

Once Kara sat down Eliza asked. "How are you really doing? And don't say fine."

"Since coming to Earth, all I've ever wanted to do was help people, like my mother wanted. And I really thought that by becoming Supergirl I'd do that. But I haven't. And everything that happened, everything that drove him to doing that, stemmed from me not saving Kelly." Kara stated.

"No, it stemmed from Non making her jump off that building." Eliza reminded her.

"I was the one who didn't stop him, who didn't catch her. I should have listened to Alex and I should have trained more. If I had she might still be alive."

"The reason you feel like this is because you are a good person. Too good for this planet." Eliza said wrapping an arm round Kara and pulling her in for a hug.

"I've hurt so many people since becoming Supergirl."

"If you had done what I had wanted and hadn't come out as Supergirl then Alex wouldn't be here and Non would have turned us all into mindless drones." Eliza said. "You can't protect everyone. But what I do know is the Earth is a better place because you're here."

-00-

As Alex jogged towards the house she saw Eliza still sitting on the porch reading papers. But as she got closer she saw Kara lying on the swinging seat her head in Eliza's lap. Slowing her pace Alex quietly approached them.

"She asleep?" Alex whispered.

"Yes, but she's pretty restless." Eliza said glancing down at Kara.

"Has she opened up?" Alex asked.

"Only about her guilt." Eliza replied. "Something you seem to be harbouring a lot of as well."

"I'm meant to protect her." Alex reminded her. "But when she was getting kidnapped I was off on a date, again."

"Don't do that." Kara said sitting up. "What happened was not your fault. You deserve to be happy."

"Both of you need to stop blaming yourself." Eliza said. "The only person to blame is David Morgan." She then looked at Kara and said. "No matter what someone goes through, nothing justifies what he did to you." She paused before saying. "You need to focus on getting better, not feeling guilty."

"I'm fine." Kara said.

"If you are going to insist that you are fine, even though you are not, I will treat you as such. So both of you stop moping." She then looked at Alex and said. "You go shower." She then turned back to Kara and said. "I'll get the pie."

"But-" Kara started to say only for Eliza to jump in.

"You're fine remember? And if you are fine you'd want pie."

-00-

"Where's mom?" Alex asked as she came back downstairs, her hair still damp.

"Ice cream run. I told her not to worry, but she insisted."

"Mom is going to spoil you while you are here." Alex pointed out.

"She shouldn't. Especially after Red Daughter came so close to killing her, right here."

"You saved her." Alex reminded her. "Something that almost killed you." She then stepped up to Kara and said. "I know you spent days being blamed for everything and being punished as a result. But he was insane. You can't let him get to you. No matter what he said and what he did."

"Alex, I know you are trying to help, but ultimately nothing he said was a lie. I did all those things."

"Not deliberately." Alex argued. "Besides are you saying I need to be blamed for that small explosion I set off that took out the front of that building?"

"Of course not, that was you doing your job."

"What about killing Morrow?"

"You were trying to stop Red Tornado."

"I could have found another way." Alex argued.

"Which would have cost DEO agents their lives, not to mention the public."

"Precisely." Alex said. "Every time you have acted it has been in the belief it was the right option and the best way to save lives. No one can argue with that. Take Reign, we were all happy to take the easy option and kill her, but you fought tooth and nail to avoid that. No matter what a crackpot with a puppet fetish says, you are a good person. That's why you are letting the guilt eat you up. But if you do that he wins. And he does not deserve to win. No one who does that deserves to win."

"He lost Kelly. She was murdered by my uncle."

"And you lost Mon-El and didn't turn psychotic." Alex countered before adding. "But if you don't face up to what happened to you, that might not be the case."

"I'm okay. I just need a little time."

"I know what he did to you. He kept very detailed records. There is no way you can go through that and be fine." Seeing Kara was about to argue Alex confessed. "I still have flashbacks to being in that tank. And compared to what happened to you, Rick barely did anything."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kara asked, her eyes displaying worry and guilt.

"You have enough to deal with." Alex said. "Besides I am meant to be the one looking after you. But my point is I know you are not okay. And I get that you might not be ready to talk, but denying being not okay is not going to help."

**TBC...**

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Jennifer Baratta - Thanks! The final two chapters will be heavily focused on the sisters.

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"Hey." Alex said as she dropped down next to Kara on the beach the next morning.

"Hey." Kara replied looking over to her sister.

"What are doing out here?"

"Just thinking."

"Want to talk rather than think?" Alex offered.

"Not yet."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No." Kara said. "But I won't be good company."

"Whatever you need I'm here." Alex assured her as she wrapped an arm round her.

"Right now I really need this hug." Kara said leaning into Alex.

"You've got it." Alex said holding Kara.

"Why are you up anyway?" Kara asked guessing from the low sun it was still before six.

"Nightmare." Alex said causing Kara to pull away and look at her.

"About what?" Kara asked frowning.

"You want me to share even though you won't?" Alex asked.

"Yes."

"Well I'm not sure you are up for it. It was pretty screwed up." Alex replied.

"What happened?" Kara asked, her frown getting deeper.

"You sure you want to hear it?" Alex asked.

"Of course." Kara said squeezing her hand.

"Well I was back in college, at a party. I was hanging out with some friends, drinking and partying when mom turned up."

"Did she yell at you?" Kara asked.

"No. It was so much worse." Alex said.

"What happened?"

"She started breakdancing."

"Eliza was breakdancing?" Kara asked.

"Yep."

"Did you make that up to distract me?"

"I wish I did. That image is stuck in my head."

"Thank you." Kara said.

"For what?" Alex asked.

"Being you. Being here."

"I will always be there for you." Alex reminded her as she hugged Kara again.

"I know. Thank you."

"Anytime. But you can repay me by eating all the pancakes mom is making for breakfast. My waistline can't take any more abuse."

"I love you." Kara said.

"Right back you." Alex said holding her tightly. "And when you are ready to talk about what kept you up all night I'm here."

"I know." Kara said. "I just need time."

-00-

"I wondered when you two were going to come in." Eliza said looking up from the paper she was reading.

"Sorry, we lost track of time." Alex said.

"It's fine. But now you are here I'll start the pancakes."

"I'm just having fruit and coffee." Alex said. "Kara can have mine."

"Are you feeling okay?" Eliza asked as she cooked the batter.

"I'm fine, just not hungry."

"But fruit?" Kara asked. "You really are in that stage of your relationship with Kelly." She added causing Alex to glare at her while blushing.

"You are such a brat." Alex said.

"Alex." Eliza chastised.

"What? You said if she was going to pretend to be fine we should treat her normally." Alex reminded her before looking at Kara and adding. "Perhaps instead of mocking me for having a date you should focus on getting a date."

"Hey." Kara protested, putting a lot of effort into acting jovially, something both Alex and Eliza picked up on. "You two don't need to share that look." Kara said.

"What look?" Alex asked looking innocent.

"I'm okay." Kara assured them. "And starving." She added trying to force the conversation away from how she was feeling.

"Good, because I made plenty of batter earlier." Eliza said handing Kara the first plate.

"Knowing Kara that probably still won't be enough." Alex pointed out as she poured herself a mug of coffee.

"Something on your mind?" Eliza asked Kara as she played with her pancakes.

"Yeah, when you were at college did you ever breakdance?"

"No." Eliza said, wondering what prompted that question. Although the way Alex was choking on her coffee suggested her eldest might be responsible. Before she could ask Alex though there was a buzzing.

"Sorry, it's Brainy." Alex said leaving the room to take the call.

"I'll go pack." Kara said after a minute.

"Why?" Eliza asked confused.

"Alien issue back in National City. Alex is needed at the DEO." Kara said.

"I thought you stopped eavesdropping to calls." Eliza said.

"This one seemed important." Kara said before leaving the kitchen.

"Where did Kara go?" Alex asked when she came back into the kitchen.

"To pack."

"She was listening?" Alex guessed. "At least that means her powers are working okay despite everything."

"You have to go?" Eliza asked.

"Yes. It's nothing world ending, but something I'm needed for." Alex said.

"If you want me to come and visit let me know." Eliza said.

"I will." Alex assured her as Kara entered the kitchen carrying the bags.

"Want me to fly us?" Kara asked.

"No, J'onn is covering Supergirl duties, after Red Daughter it's best for the city not to think you have a clone." Alex said, not wanting Kara to push herself.

"Want me to drive?"

"No. I want to make it back in one piece."

"My driving is not that bad. Ask Nia?"

"The girl with narcolepsy? She probably forced herself into a coma." Alex countered.

"You could always stay here for a bit longer." Eliza offered Kara.

"I know. But I need to go back." Kara said hugging her goodbye. As Eliza pulled away she cupped Kara's face and said. "Please don't push Alex away and don't bury everything."

"I won't." Kara promised.

-00-

"Isn't the DEO that way?" Kara asked pointing down a different street.

"I'm dropping you off first." Alex said.

"Shouldn't I come with you?" Kara asked.

"No."

"But you may need my help."

"You're benched." Alex said. "Until I think you are okay, no way am I letting you in the field."

"What if you need help?"

"I'll call J'onn."

"But-"

"I mean it Kara, you are not working for the DEO until I believe you are okay."

"Fine." Kara agreed. Her lack of protest both pleasing and worrying Alex.

-00-

As Alex walked back into Kara's apartment later that evening she said. "So what do you want for dinner?"

"I want you to go on a date with Kelly."

"Not happening until I know you are okay."

"I'm fine." Kara said.

"You are the worse liar in this city." Alex said.

"How is the alien crisis?" Kara asked changing topics.

"Fixed, for now anyway."

"So you can go on a date." Kara pressed.

"Not happening." Alex said.

"I know you are blaming yourself, but what happened is not your fault." Kara said assuming Alex's actions were spawned from guilt.

"If we had that movie night you wanted I would have known you were missing sooner, I would have found you sooner." Alex pointed out.

"I knew you would blame yourself." Kara said. "It was one of the things that kept me going. I knew I had to survive so I could tell you it wasn't your fault."

"My job is to protect you."

"Technically your actual job is to protect the planet and repel alien threats." Kara reminded her.

"I was your big sister along time before I was Director of the DEO." Alex said. "And while I may not always work for the DEO I will always be your big sister."

"That doesn't mean you can always protect me and it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your own happiness."

"It's not like spending the evening with you makes me miserable." Alex pointed out.

"You know what I mean."

"Kara, until I know you are okay everything else can wait."

"I'm fine."

"You were having nightmares last night." Alex pointed out.

"Fine, I'm not fine, but I'm getting better." Kara said. Her slight admission appeasing Alex who hugged her.

**TBC...**

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments.

Alliedstasis - Thanks. I take the view that people's imagination is far greater than what I can describe.

Jennifer Baratta - More talks in this final chapter.

Guest - Even if they don't merge, which I still hope they don't, they can always jump Earths.

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When Alex woke she looked around for Kara, growing concerned when she couldn't see her.

"Kara?" She called. Getting no response she looked round the apartment, growing more and more worried. Not seeing her or seeing a note she took out her phone and was about to call her when a blur of red and blue flew into the apartment.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked as Kara flew into the apartment dressed as Supergirl.

"There was a robbery."

"What happened to not being Supergirl?"

"You benched me from the DEO, not from being Supergirl. Technically you can't stop me."

"Kara-"

"Alex, please. I know you want to protect me but the longer I leave it the more doubts I get."

"Doubts?"

"What if I go and someone gets hurt?"

"As much as I want you to be safe, more people will get hurt if you give up being Supergirl." Alex pointed out. "And if you do need help, I'm right here."

"Thank you." Kara said, but her eyes were still full of doubt. Knowing she needed support Alex sighed and said,

"Kara, you are the strongest person I know. You can overcome anything."

"Then why are you trying to stop me?"

"Because every time something bad happens to you, you throw yourself into Supergirl duties."

"I will limit myself to five saves a day." Kara offered. "I need this Alex."

"Okay, just remember I will be here for you if you need me."

"Thank you." Kara said hugging her.

"Okay, just promise you'll be careful."

"Always."

-00-

"Hey Alex, how's Kara?" James asked as he opened his apartment door.

"Getting there." Alex said. "Good enough to go back to work."

"I'll keep an eye on her." James assured her.

"Thanks." Alex said.

"I assume you are here to see Kelly?"

"Yeah."

"Go on through. I'll catch you later." James said grabbing his jacket and leaving.

"Alex, hey. I thought I heard your voice. How's Kara doing?" Kelly asked.

"Midvale helped and she says she is okay." Alex said. "And she is acting more like her old self, but deep down she's got a long way to go."

"What about you?" Kelly asked.

"What about me?"

"How are you doing?"

"Me? I wasn't the one who was kidnapped and tortured."

"No, but you are the protective big sister who mistakenly believes she is responsible for everything that happened. You are the warm, caring person who feels useless because you can't take Kara's pain away." Kelly listed.

"You're good." Alex said deflecting.

"I am, including at spotting deflections. So how are you doing?"

"I'm worried about her."

"Look, I know I may be biased, but Kara really needs to see a professional."

"As in a shrink?" Alex asked.

"Yeah."

"It's not that simple."

"Because she's Supergirl?"

"Yeah, no. How?" Alex asked confused, wondering if James had said something.

"Kara being taken didn't make any sense, then you said how guilty she was feeling, which again didn't make much sense unless she was Supergirl. Plus the DEO were looking for her, why would they unless she was Supergirl? Don't worry I won't say anything."

"I know that."

"Good. But seeing she lost her entire planet, was almost killed by another Kryptonian, had the world turned against her, has now been tortured and who knows what that I don't know about, she really needs help."

"It's not that easy."

"What about the DEO therapist?"

"We don't have one."

"How is that possible?" Kelly asked eyes wide.

"I don't know. We just never had. I guess with J'onn being physic he could tell if any of us were going to go crazy."

"Uh-huh." Kelly said unconvinced. "Now you are in charge, perhaps you should hire one." Kelly suggested as Alex's phone rang.

"It's Kara." Alex explained as she answered. As she heard shaky sobs down the phone Alex asked.

"Where are you?" Getting no sense from the other end she said, while trying to remain calm. "It's okay. Just keep breathing."

As she glance at her girlfriend Kelly mouthed.

"Go."

Nodding Alex rushed out of the apartment as she continued to try and soothe her sister.

-00-

"Kara?" Alex called as she burst into her apartment. Seeing her sister on the floor hugging her knees she hurried over. "Hey, what's happened?" She asked relieved that Kara didn't seem to be physically hurt. The second she reached out for Kara she found her being engulfed in a hug. "Hey, it's okay." Alex said.

"You were right. I'm not fine." Kara said as she clung to Alex.

"What happened?" Alex asked trying to soothe her.

"Do you remember how I told Maggie I didn't have panic attacks?"

"Yeah."

"I think I was wrong."

"It's okay." Alex said holding her tighter still none the wiser as to what had happened. Finally Kara said.

"There was a fire at a factory. The factory made dolls like the one he used as the judge. They were everywhere and when I saw them I freaked out."

"It's okay, you're safe now." Alex soothed.

"I am meant to be the girl of steel and yet I can't even be around kids' toys without freaking out."

"You have every reason to freak out in front of them." Alex said. "They are bad enough at the best of times. I mean who would give their kids one of those?"

"You had a Chucky." Kara pointed out.

"I bought him myself." Alex clarified. "I loved that film, but don't worry it is off limits for the foreseeable future."

"I thought I was okay, that I could go back to being Supergirl, but what if I freak out again and someone gets hurt? What if you get hurt?"

"What if you don't come on a mission and I get hurt?" Alex asked.

"I thought you wanted me not to be Supergirl with the DEO."

"I want you to be safe. But more importantly I want you to be happy. And being Supergirl makes you happy." Alex said. "But you can't just throw yourself into it and assume all your other problems will go away. So I will un-bench you, if you agree to see the DEO shrink."

"The DEO doesn't have a shrink." Kara pointed out.

"Yet. We are getting one."

"Because of me?"

"What is it with aliens and egos?" Alex asked.

"So because of Kelly. You haven't even been dating a month. Imagine how whipped you'll be after three months." Kara said finally loosening her grip on Alex.

"You are such a brat." Alex pointed out.

"But you love me anyway?" Kara asked.

"Of course I love you. Which is why I worry about you so much."

"How long did you have nightmares about water tanks?" Kara asked jumping topics again.

"A while, they got better with time." Alex said. "So will yours."

"I was so scared." Kara confessed causing Alex to hold her. "I knew you would come, but I wasn't sure I was strong enough to hold on."

"I knew you would hold on, you are ate strongest person I know." Alex said before pointing to Kara's arm. "Here." She then pointed to Kara's head and said. "And here." She then pointed to Kara's heart. "And especially here." She paused before saying. "I know parts of you feel broken right now, but you will come through this and you will be stronger. And I will be with you every step of the way."

"I know." Kara said, pausing before taking a deep breath. "I think I'm ready to talk."

**-The End**

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed it.


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